Chapter 16 #3
I nodded. They needed to know how cruel this bastard really was.
“That day he broke my jaw, both wrists, my left clavicle, three ribs, and both bones in my lower right leg. My cheekbones were fractured, and the swelling on my brain was extensive.” I shifted on the chair, the memory of the pain still fresh.
“I honestly think he believed I was dead or that I would be shortly after he dumped my body. And if those old people hadn’t found me… ”
As those words left my mouth, my energy wavered, my body suddenly so weak, so tired, I could hardly sit up anymore. Now that they knew the story…
I felt as though I could breathe again, like some of the weight had been lifted.
But as the exterior door slammed behind Wolfe, I wasn’t sure how long that feeling would last.
Rhys
I probably should’ve gone after Wolfe, but I noticed Amy sagging, her entire body listing to the left as though every ounce of her energy had faded.
Based on what it took to tell a story like that, I could imagine it had.
So, instead of making sure Wolfe didn’t beat someone to death, I picked Amy up, carried her up the metal stairs and into the break room on the second floor, while Lynx went after his cousin.
After depositing Amy in the recliner and perching on the arm, I brushed back the strands of hair that had pulled free from her ponytail.
“You need to find Wolfe. Calm him down,” she told me as she curled into a ball.
“I will,” I assured her. “In a minute.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I wasn’t strong.”
I hadn’t cried in years, but at that moment, I could feel the tears forming behind my eyes. I wanted nothing more than to go back in time and change the course of Amy’s life. All the way to when her parents died.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t do that.
However, I could find this bastard. It might not be easy since I had no doubt she would refuse to tell me the monster’s name. But I would find him.
And when I did…
I only hoped I got to him before Wolfe did.
“When you finally left the hospital, where did you go?”
Amy rested her head on the arm of the chair.
“I never told the nurses my name. I knew he wasn’t going to report me missing, so no one would ever search for me.
They called me Jane and I got used to it.
The day finally came when they told me I was being released.
I was terrified. One of the nurses—Annette—helped me for a few days after.
I stayed at her house in her daughter’s bedroom.
Then, one day, when she was at work, I left.
I knew I couldn’t stay. I didn’t want him to hurt her if he found me.
“I went to the bank, withdrew the money my parents had left me, bought a car, then decided I needed to get far, far away from him. I stayed in various motels for months. I would stay for three or four days, then move on to another, slowly working my way north. I got almost to Arkansas and decided I couldn’t keep running forever, but I wasn’t about to go back to Houston.
So I made my way back here. When I found the house for sale and realized I could pay for it with cash, I decided that was a sign I should stay in Embers Ridge. ”
I continued to slide my hand over her hair.
Amy yawned. “I didn’t know where else to go.”
My heart broke for her. The damaged woman who had no one to turn to for help.
I sat there, watching Amy until I realized she had fallen asleep. I leaned over and kissed her head. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
She didn’t stir, so I left her in the chair and made my way back downstairs.
Reagan was standing at the bottom of the stairs, watching me.
“Who the hell is the bastard, Rhys?” she demanded, her eyes hard.
My sister had always been the protective sort.
When she was little, we had a hard time stopping her from taking in every injured or homeless animal we came across.
In school, she had always been the one to stand up to the bullies, no matter who their target had been.
She might be a hard-ass, but the girl had a huge heart.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. But I intend to find out.”
“Why won’t she tell you his name?”
“She’s scared shitless, Reagan. She fuckin’ can’t even walk in her own damn house without freezin’ up. I’m sure she jumps at every damn shadow, worried that he’ll be back for her.”
“Will he?”
“I fuckin’ hope not.” I honestly didn’t know. “Depends on the political power he wields and whether or not he feels truly threatened by her.”
“You think he knows she’s alive?”
I nodded. That I did know. “If he’s in law enforcement, I’m sure he knows. He would’ve gotten the same information I did. The media was all over it. And since he was the one who dumped her body…”
“How did he not find her in the hospital?”
“Because God was watching over her,” I said. That was the only reason I could think of.
Reagan nodded. Thankfully, her interrogation was over.
“I need to go find Wolfe.”
“Yeah. You do.”
I glanced around the warehouse. “Where’s Lynx?”
“He tore ass outta here. You know him. He doesn’t deal well with this … emotional stuff.”
No kidding.
As I was turning toward the door, it opened and Wolfe stepped into the building.
Reagan glanced over her shoulder, then past me. “I’m gonna head over to the diner. Grab some food. Can you call me later? Let me know how she’s doin’? And let her know I’m here if she needs me.”
I nodded. I knew my sister wouldn’t let this go. Once she latched onto someone, she was like a dog with a bone. Like Lynx, Reagan was fiercely protective of those she cared about.
As soon as Reagan was out the door, I moved toward Wolfe. “You all right?”
He frowned. “Are you?”
No. No, I wasn’t. I wasn’t sure I would ever be all right after hearing that.
Wolfe glanced up at the second floor. “She up there?”
“She’s asleep. In the recliner.”
For a second, Wolfe didn’t move. His eyes remained locked on my face. It was the first time I'd ever seen him fall apart. Right there before my eyes, tears formed in his eyes. I moved toward him, but he sidestepped me before I could console him.
Wolfe reared his fist back and aimed it toward a wooden post, but stopped just shy of hitting it, growling through clenched teeth. I figured it had more to do with not wanting to wake up Amy than fear of shattering his entire hand.
“I want to kill that bastard,” he ground out. “I want to beat him to a pulp, then do it again and again. And then I want to watch him die a slow, painful death.”
I understood Wolfe’s anger. I felt it.
“You need to find out who the fuck he is,” Wolfe demanded.
“I’ll do my best. But I can’t broadcast this information. It’s not like I can send out an APB on the guy. Amy doesn’t want him to find her. And so far, she’s managed to evade him.”
“You think he’s lookin’ for her?”
“I do. If he’s as powerful as she says, he doesn’t want the loose end. It’s possible he’s sitting back, buying time.” I took a deep breath. “I know you don’t want to, but I need as much information as you have on her. It’s the only way I’ll be able to back track and find him.”
Wolfe nodded, but whether he was agreeing to give me the details or simply saying he understood, I wasn’t sure.
I waited.
“I’ll get you a copy of her application.”
“She filled it out?”
Another nod. “I think she trusts me now.”
I didn’t doubt that. She’d opened up to all of us, more so than she’d probably wanted to. It seemed trust was the least of our issues at this point.
Wolfe released a breath, his gaze straying to the second floor once more. “I’m gonna close up shop and take her back to my place. Let her sleep for a while. I don’t think she slept at all last night.”
I nodded. “I’ve got to get to work. I’ve got Dean fillin’ in, but I have to relieve him.”
“Call me or better yet, just stop by the house when you get done.” Wolfe reached out and touched my hand. A gesture that I hadn’t expected, but one that I needed more than I'd realized.
“And call me if you find out anything.”
“Will do.” I took a couple of steps toward the door. “Oh, and Wolfe?”
“Huh?”
“Rein Lynx in before he gets himself in trouble.”
A small smile tilted Wolfe’s mouth. “Right. Like anyone has the power to do that.”
Unfortunately, no truer words had ever been spoken. I only hoped Lynx found a constructive way to release the pent-up frustration; otherwise, my job was going to get that much harder.
I had enough on my plate as it was.